Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Included for Free in New Assetto Corsa DLC

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the most famous circuits in the world. As a result, acquiring the license rights to feature it in a racing video game can be costly—and doubly so if you also want to laser-scan the track (or purchase someone else’s scan).

But modern racing simulators, such as Assetto Corsa, now almost universally pride themselves on offering laser-scanned recreations of the world’s best circuits, and it wouldn’t do to provide buyers with only an imitation. The effort required to do so, however, has led titles like Assetto Corsa to offer a limited track selection compared to less realistic racing games, such as Forza or Gran Turismo.

All of this makes it especially surprising that Kunos Simulazioni, the developers behind Assetto Corsa, announced yesterday that its new “Bonus Pack 3” downloadable content (DLC), which launched today, will come with the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca included for free…along with seven new cars, also free.

For enthusiast simulation racers, a laser-scanned track makes all the difference in terms of realism, and allows the game’s handling physics to truly come alive. A hand-made imitation of Laguna Seca might look nearly identical to that of a laser-scanned version, but cannot compete with the surface feeling produced by a 2×2-centimeter laser-scanned grid that recreates every bump and change of camber in vivid detail.

You don’t need to travel to California, buy a track day pass, and bring along a set of extra tires to experience Laguna Seca’s world-famous corkscrew corner—you just need a computer.